Anti-Japanese cartoon, The Province, Vancouver, February 28, 1938.
Anti-Orientalism did not die with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923 or with the new "gentleman's agreement" of 1928. While it was true that British Columbians no longer saw the Chinese community as a threatening enclave, they continued to fear the Japanese; as Japan expanded her military influence in the Far East, Canadians looked upon Canadian Japanese with suspicion. This cartoon from Vancouver's Province of 1938 reflected the belief that "easterners" cared little about the worries of British Columbians. But when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and killed or captured Canadian troops stationed in Hong Kong, many whites hysterically turned upon the Japanese-Canadian community.
Courtesy: with acknowledgement to Dr. Patricia Roy
